Mobile Irrigation Machine With Underground Water Application

ABSTRACT

An irrigation assembly has a main pipeline supported at intervals by mobile towers, a plurality of drop tube assemblies at spaced intervals along the pipeline and a collector positioned to receive water from the drop tube assembly. A plurality of targets are positioned on the ground in the paths of motion defined by the movement of the collectors. The targets may be dishes. Each dish preferably has a perforated drain that penetrates beneath the surface of the ground. Interaction between the collector and the target causes the water stored within the collector to be released into the target. The irrigation assembly may provide for underground irrigation without a collector where a dish or trough receives water from the drop tube assembly and underground drains allow for water to be dispersed below the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to mobile irrigation machines such asthose used on agricultural fields for watering planted crops or ingreenhouse applications.

Conventional irrigation systems have a main pipeline which is supportedat intervals by mobile towers. Spray nozzles are connected at variouspoints along the pipeline. The nozzles may attach more or less directlyto the main pipeline or to drop tubes that extend out of the top of themain pipeline and curve downwardly to a nozzle or to the bottom of pipe.Pressure regulators may be interposed between the main pipeline and eachnozzle to maintain a regulated water pressure entering each nozzleregardless of undulating terrain or pressure losses along the length ofthe pipeline. This assures that the nozzles will dispense water at aknown rate at each point along the main pipeline.

One problem with current irrigation systems is that the emitted waterspray from the nozzle is subject to evaporation loss. As soon as thewater becomes airborne from the nozzle, some percentage is lost to theatmosphere by evaporation. Further evaporation can occur after the waterlands on the plants or the surface of the ground. The percentage lostcan be especially significant during dry seasons or in arid climates.Thus, there is a need for an irrigation system which reduces the effectof evaporation on the emitted water spray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to irrigation machines having an abilityto reduce evaporation losses. This is accomplished in two ways. First,water is not released to the air in small droplets. Second, water isdelivered to the crop's root zone, beneath the surface of the ground.The irrigation machine may be of the type having linear, or rotationalmovement or a combination thereof. These include center pivot machines,laterally movable machines, or machines with steerable corners of thetype shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,129. The presentinvention provides an irrigation assembly having a main pipelinesupported on mobile towers. A plurality of collectors are in fluidcommunication with the main pipeline. The collectors receive and retainwater from the pipeline for intermittent release onto designatedtargets. The main pipeline carries the collectors along a path, eachcollector having its own path. The collectors have the capability ofquickly releasing water collected from the main pipeline onto selectedtargets along their respective paths.

The collectors may be mounted anywhere along the irrigation assemblyalthough it is preferred that the collector be mounted to drop tubeassemblies. The collector releases the water therein at controlledlocations along the collector path. At each point of release, or target,there is preferably a dish or water receiving receptacle which isimpregnated into the soil. The portion of the dish beneath the soil hasa plurality of holes or perforations to allow water seepage from thedish into the surrounding soil. During travel of the irrigationassembly, mechanical interaction between the dish and collector causesthe water within the collector to be released into the dish.

Release of the water from the collector to the target can occur inseveral ways. One way is to place a water outlet opening and a valve ina bottom portion of the collector. The valve is normally held in aclosed position. Opening of the valve is triggered by a valve actuatorattached to the dish. Opening is triggered only when the collector isaligned with the dish and thus the water within the collector is emptiedinto the dish. Continued movement of the irrigation assembly willdisengage the valve actuator from the valve, allowing the valve toreturn to a closed position. Another way to cause emptying of thecollector's contents is for the collector to be pivotally mounted to theirrigation machine at a spindle. Both the collector and the dish arelocated at predetermined elevation levels such that the engagementbetween the collector and the dish during travel of the main pipelinecauses pivoting of the collector in the direction of the dish. Uponpivoting of the collector, the water therein will pour into the dish andthen percolate into the soil through the holes in the dish.

The irrigation machine may also incorporate moisture probes mounted atintervals along the main pipeline for selectively measuring the moisturelevel of the ground. The moisture probes may be mounted anywhere alongthe irrigation assembly to allow for selective moisture measurementusing a downwardly extending probe. The moisture probe may be movable,for example by a motor drive, which allows for downward extension andupward retraction of the probe for testing, but fixed probes are alsopossible. The moisture probes could be used to determine whether acollector should be emptied at a certain target or whether emptyingshould be delayed until a subsequent testing indicates dry soilconditions. If emptying is to be delayed, the moisture probe might alsosignal a valve to shut off flow into the collector. A valve suitable forsuch a purpose is shown and described in co-pending application Ser. No.09/727,181, filed Nov. 30, 2000, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

The present invention may be utilized without a collector where aplurality of dishes or troughs receive water from the drop tubeassembly. The troughs can be positioned in continuous or spacedorientation and are positioned at least partially within a path of thedrop tube assembly so that as the drop tube assembly moves along itspath, water is discharged into troughs. A plurality of undergrounddrains are associated within the trough to cause water infiltrationdirectly beneath the ground. The trough may be a pipe with a slotopening at its top. A flexible hose may also be incorporated where oneend or inlet is in fluid communication with the drop tube assembly andthe other end or outlet extends within the slot of the pipe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a center pivot irrigation machineequipped with the underground irrigation assembly of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a laterally movable irrigationmachine of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the underground irrigation assembly ofthe present invention, looking longitudinally of the main pipeline.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view looking from the right side of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a detail view of a collector valve being actuated by a dish.

FIG. 6 is an elevation view, similar to FIG. 3, of an alternateembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an elevation view looking from the right side of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of a pivoting collector of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is perspective view of a dish.

FIG. 10 is an elevation view of the underground irrigation assembly witha moisture probe assembly.

FIG. 11 is an elevation view looking from the right side of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an elevation view of a portion of an alternate embodiment ofthe underground irrigation assembly, looking perpendicularly to the mainpipeline at a drop tube and trough.

FIG. 13 is an elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 12, looking fromthe right side of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 12, showing a further alternatearrangement of a drop tube and trough.

FIG. 15 is an elevation view of a target, looking perpendicular to themain pipeline.

FIG. 16 is an elevation view of an alternate target, lookingperpendicular to the main pipeline.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The irrigation machine 10 of the present invention includes a mainpipeline 12. The pipeline comprises a plurality of individual pipesections which are joined together at flexible joints. Each section issupported at intervals by mobile towers 14. Each of the mobile towers 14has a drive motor 16 for propelling the tower across a field. Movementof the irrigation machine may be linear or rotational or any combinationthereof; the present invention could be used on any of these types ofmachines. In a center pivot point irrigation machine, shown generally inFIG. 1, one end of the main pipeline remains fixed at a central pivotpoint while the outer end rotates about that central pivot point. In alaterally moveable irrigation system, shown generally in FIG. 2, bothends of the main pipeline section move in a lateral direction inrelation to the longitudinal axis of the machine. Water supplies areconnected to either type of machine in the conventional manner.

The irrigation machine 10 also has a plurality of drop tube assembliesindicated generally at 17. The drop tube assemblies are connected to themain pipeline at spaced intervals. As shown in FIG. 3, each drop tubeassembly 17 includes a drop tube 18, a pressure regulator 20, and anozzle 22 although other combinations for the drop tube assemblies arepossible and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Each droptube 18 may have a conventional goose neck portion that extends out ofthe top of the main pipe section 12 and curves downwardly to a straightportion of the tube. The distal end of the drop tube 18 has a pressureregulator 20 attached to it. The pressure regulator 20 controls thewater pressure presented to the nozzle in order to allow a consistent,known rate of distribution of water through each nozzle. The nozzle 22is attached downstream of the regulator 20 and directs water downwardlytoward the ground, indicated at 24.

A collector 26 is suitably connected to the drop tube assembly 17. Thecollector 26 has walls defining a water inlet at top end 28, a wateroutlet at bottom end 30, a cavity 32 and a valve 34. The top end 28 isgenerally closed and in fluid communication with the drop tube assemblyalthough it is possible to construct a collector with the top end leftopen. The bottom end is normally held in a closed position by the valve34. The top end 28 is preferably mounted to the drop tube assembly 17 ata collector elevation 36 (FIG. 4). The nozzle 22 is positioned relativeto the collector 26 such that all water flows from the nozzle into thecollector. Depending on the nozzle type this may require the nozzle tobe disposed within the collector's cavity. Or it may be possible toposition the nozzle outside the collector with all flow directed intothe collector's inlet opening. Placing the nozzle inside the collectorhas the advantage of minimizing evaporation due to exposure of waterdroplets to the air.

The valve 34 is located in the bottom end 30 and is normally closed sothat the collector can receive and store water therein. During operationof the irrigation machine 10 movement of the pipeline will occur in thedirection indicated by the arrow (FIG. 3) causing corresponding movementof the collector. It will be realized that each collector will traverseits own collector path 35 (FIGS. 1 and 2) as it moves with the pipeline.The collector 26 is preferably made of polyethylene or any other likematerials. The collector construction is preferably a cylindrical pipeor sleeve having a four-inch inner diameter, although other sizes andshapes are possible so long as they permit release of the collector'scontents in a relatively short time.

The connection between the collector and the drop tube assemblypreferably forms a relatively fluid-tight seal which minimizesevaporation losses. It is also possible for the collector to be mounteddirectly to the main pipeline although it is preferred that thecollector be attached to one of the drop tube, the pressure regulator orthe nozzle. The attachment of the collector to the drop tube assembly orpipeline may also include one or more adaptor members, pivots, sleeves,fittings or the like in order to position the collector accordingly.Also, it may be advantageous to locate all or a portion of one or bothof the pressure regulator and nozzle within the cavity of the collector.

The valve 34 shown in FIGS. 3-5 has a normally closed pivotable membergenerally external to the collector. The external member can bedisplaced from its normally closed position by mechanical engagementwith a valve actuator on a ground-mounted dish as will be describedbelow. Variations of the valve and valve actuator are also possible. Onealternate type of valve that can be used is a flapper type valve similarto those used in water closets. The flapper valve is mounted inside thecollector and normally closes an opening in the bottom of the collector.It would be triggered by a valve actuator, either mechanical orelectrical, located either on a dish or elsewhere. The flapper valvealso may be triggered by a lever arm or the like connected to the valve.Upon triggering of the valve, the flapper valve would open allowing alarge volume of water to flow out of the collector in less than aminute. Opening of the valve causes a hinged flapper to be moved upwardsinto the column of water within the collector such that the flapperfloats or is suspended within the water. Actuation of the valve keepsthe flapper suspended within the column of water until the water isexpelled. Once the water is discharged the flapper falls back into placethus closing the valve. The flapper has a shape which is molded to fitinto the valve opening at the collector bottom end and thus may have anyshape as needed based on the chosen shape of the opening. Other types ofvalves are possible and will be apparent to one skilled in the art.These might include solenoid actuated valves or otherelectrically-controlled valves.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 there are a plurality of stationary targets ordishes 38 placed on the ground at spaced locations along each of thecollector paths 35. The dishes preferably extend partially under thesurface of the ground 24. FIGS. 3-5 illustrate details of a dish. Thedish 38 has an open upper end 40, sides 41 and a drain 42. The drainpenetrates beneath the soil surface as shown. The dish upper end 40mounts a valve actuator 44 which engages pins 45 on the valve 34 of acollector positioned over the dish. The actuator moves the valve into anopened position during passage of a collector 26 over a dish. Within theground, the drain 42 of the dish may have a plurality of holes orperforations 46. The dish may have numerous holes located therein eitheron the sides, the drain, a bottom of the dish, or any combination of theforegoing, but the location, size and position of the holes will dependon soil characteristics and other factors. For instance, where the soilconditions are very porous or the roots of the crop very shallow, thedish may have a plurality of holes located in the sides only.

Looking briefly at FIGS. 15 and 16, alternate embodiments of the targetsare shown. As seen here the target also may be a hole, channel or trenchinstead of the dish. In fact, the term “target” therefore is understoodto mean both dish and non-dish forms of the invention. The hole is dugwithin the ground in the collector path 35. A mesh or web 108 may beplaced within the hole as a liner to minimize soil erosion or keep thehole from caving in with soil. The holes also could be filled withaggregate 110 such as biodegradable particles, spherical balls, or wasteproducts which minimize soil erosion and water evaporation. If requiredby the soil characteristics, both the mesh and the aggregate may be usedtogether. If the target is in the form of a channel, it may be dug alongcontinuous or selected portions of the collector path 35 which are shownin FIGS. 1 and 2. Although FIGS. 15 and 16 are views perpendicular tothe main pipeline, the direction of the channel could be altered so longas at least a portion of the channel is dug within the collector path35. This alteration will be described in more detail below in connectionwith a further alternate embodiment.

Returning to FIGS. 3-5, the valve actuator 44 may be of a mechanicaltype which physically unseats the valve 34. Or the valve actuator couldbe of an electrical type which triggers a circuit resulting in anopening of the valve. Upon actuation of the valve 34 by the valveactuator 44, water contained within the collector cavity 32 will flowinto the dish 38. Thereafter, the water within the dish 38 will flowthrough the holes 46 and percolate into the ground 24. The valueactuator 44 may be of an electrical type in the form of a metal wire orwires which trigger opening of the valve. Or metal wires could belocated on the collector 26 and trigger opening of the valve when thewires are actuated by contact with the target or dish. The valveactuator could further have a local logic device or smart chip which islocated on or near the target or dish, or alternatively, the logicdevice could be located somewhere on the movable irrigation assembly orincorporated into the valve. The logic device would tell the valve toopen for release of water or to remain closed so as to prevent therelease of water and it further may record the soil moisture data up toseveral irrigation cycles and/or monitor the cycles when the irrigationmachine did or did not release water over the target. The device may bea computer chip, microchip or other intelligent device which triggersthe valve actuation.

Actuation between the target and the collector may also occur throughnon-physical contact. For instance, a signal may be emitted from atransmitter located on the irrigation machine and then the signal isreflected back by the target to a receptor located on the irrigationmachine. Radio waves, sound waves, magnetic fields or other means couldbe used to actuate the valve. The transmitter may be emit intermittentsignals at a certain frequency and then listen for return signals from areflector at the same frequency. In one example using electromagneticprinciples, the transmitter could be made of looped wire which induces amagnetic field. The transmitter would radiate energy in the direction ofa circuit at same frequency of the circuit. The circuit would beattached on or near the target and would be capable of absorbing energyat the emitted frequency and reflecting it back at the same frequency.The circuit may have a resistor, capacitor and inductor but no voltageor current source. The radiating energy would be absorbed by the circuitthus charging the circuit. When the transmitter stopped radiatingenergy, the circuit would re-radiate the energy back to the receptor atthe same frequency thus forming a sympathetic resonant response. Whenthe maximum amplitude of the sympathetic resonant response was detected,the collector would lie over the target and the valve could be triggeredto open. A logit device could be incorporated to determine the maximumamplitudes of the sympathetic resonant responses.

The dish 38 may have any dimension but it is preferred that the dishholds approximately 3 gallons of water. The dish may be made of anymaterial or perhaps be made of biodegradable plastic, waste product orlivestock byproduct. The dish may also have any shape such as, but notlimited to cylindrical, rectangular, or funnel shape. The upper end ofthe dish may form an elongated trough that will receive water from thecollector over an extended portion of the collector path. An averagedish depth below the ground surface is approximately 6 inches. Alternatedish depths are possible and will be determined based on certain factorssuch as soil characteristics, root zones and the type of plants. Aplurality of dishes are possible so long as the dishes are positionedwithin the collector paths. Where numerous dishes are contemplated, itis possible that the dishes may be automatically installed using adrilling method which prevents impaction of the soil and which improvessoil porosity. The method would utilize a machine which drills holes atselected points along the collector path and then inserts the dishestherein. Where removal of the dishes is required, a dish removal methodmay be used to extract and collect the dishes. In the case of the dishbeing made of biodegradable materials, the dish will have a certainuseful life span but not have to be removed because it will disintegrateover time.

During operation of the irrigation machine 10, water is supplied to themain pipeline 12 from a well, reservoir or other water source and flowsto the plurality of drop tubes 18. Water flows to the nozzle 22,controlled by the pressure regulator 20, and out the nozzle into thecollector 26 where it is retained until the collector arrives over adish. Release of water stored within the collector is accomplished byopening the valve 34 which is triggered when the valve actuator 44 of adish 38 engages the valve 34 on the collector bottom end 30. Emptying ofthe collector's fluid contents occurs quickly when the collector ispositioned over the dish. Because the collector will continue movingaccording to the speed of the irrigation machine it is preferable thatthe release of the collector's contents occur in less than about aminute. Obviously the dish will be sized to accommodate some pipelinemovement during emptying of the collector. Continued movement of thecollector causes the valve 34 and valve actuator 44 to disengage and thevalve to reseat itself on the collector bottom end 30. Once the valvereturns to a substantially closed position, the collector begins torefill for the subsequent application. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 thecollector may release and refill numerous times during a single circuitof the irrigation assembly around or across a field. Any number ofcollectors may be located along the main pipe section 12 as needed todeliver the desired flow rate. Each collector's contents are distributedwithin the dishes located within the collector path 35.

The present invention significantly reduces water loss due toevaporation. The connection between the nozzle and the collector isfluid-tight so as to prevent evaporation loss. The collector storeswater outflow from the nozzle within its cavity and upon valve actuationempties the water therein. Evaporation loss at the dishes may also beminimized because the water therein will be in the process ofinfiltrating into the ground through the plurality of holes 46.

In FIGS. 6-9 an alternate irrigation assembly 48 is shown with likeparts shown with like numbers. A collector 50 is shown having an opentop end 52 and a closed bottom end 54. The collector top end 52 ispivotally mounted to the irrigation assembly along a spindle 56 which isconnected to the assembly along arms 58 having both horizontal andvertical components. In its normal condition, the collector top end 52is positioned directly below the nozzle 22 to receive water therefrom ata collector elevation 62 (FIG. 7) which is located at a predeterminedheight above the ground 24. A dish 66 may have any dimension or shapeand is also preferably located partially within the ground 24. The dishupper end 68 is located at an elevation 70 (FIG. 6) which overlaps thecollector bottom end 54. Other elevations of the dish upper end 68 arealso possible so long as it is located below the spindle 56. There are aplurality of holes 72 within the dish and guide pieces 74 and 76 arefixed to the dish upper end 68. Guide pieces 74 are generally parallelto the dish upper end 68 and guide pieces 76 are positioned at an obtuseangle from guide pieces 74 to aid in positioning the collector 50 duringpivoting thereof.

During operation of the assembly shown in FIGS. 6-9 movement of theirrigation assembly will cause corresponding movement of the collectorallowing the collector to follow the collector path. At stationarypoints along the collector path, the collector 50 will encounter a dish66 along a leading side edge 78 of the collector. Continued movement ofthe assembly will cause pivotal movement of the collector due to forceapplied by the dish upper end 68 to the collector side edge 78.Continued pivotal movement allows the accumulated water within thecollector to pour into the dish 66. It is possible that an upper portionof the collector side edge 78 may be cut away to facilitate the emptyingof accumulated water therein. Guide pieces 74 and 76 accurately positionthe collector 50 before and during the receipt of water by the dish 66.Continued movement of the pipeline 12 disengages the collector from thedish causing the collector to return to its original uprightorientation.

In the further alternate embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, a moisture probeassembly 80 may be mounted to the irrigation assembly 10. The moistureprobe assembly 80 has a downwardly extending moisture probe 82 toprovide testing of the moisture level of the ground when the irrigationmachine is in use. Although the moisture probe assembly 80 is shown asbeing mounted adjacent to the collector 26 other positions are alsopossible. The moisture probe assembly 80 may be mounted to any portionof the irrigation assembly for selectively testing the ground moisturelevel during operation, including but not limited to, being mounted toone of the drop tube, the pressure regulator, or the nozzle. Themoisture probe may be mounted for stationary use or, alternatively, maybe movably mounted. Where the moisture probe is movable, it may extenddownwardly for contact with the ground by means of a motor drive whichalso allows upward retraction after the moisture measurement has beencompleted. The moisture probe is preferably positioned at various pointsalong the irrigation assembly to allow for selective testing of theground moisture level during operation of the irrigation assembly. It ispossible that the moisture probe could be utilized to test the moistureor water level within the dish.

In the case of the stationary moisture probe, it could be mounted to theirrigation assembly either on the target or the dish 38. The probe maycontain a computer chip, microchip or smart chip which stores the recenthistory of soil moisture for the last several irrigation cycles. Ifnecessary, the chip may have a power source such as a battery. Theinformation that is stored within the chip could be relayed to theirrigation machine as the machine passes over the target either byelectrical contact or by non-physical contact, similar to the waysalready described herein. When the moisture probe is located on thetarget, it may operate as the valve actuator. A central computing orlogic device can be incorporated within the irrigation machine whichhelps process the information obtained from one or more moisture probes.

It can be seen that the present invention provides an apparatus thatdelivers irrigation water under the surface of the soil, rather thanspraying it through the air and onto the surface of the soil or onto theplants themselves. This delivers more of the water to the roots of theplants where it does the most good and minimizes opportunities forlosses to evaporation. The collectors allow for a constant flow of waterout of the main pipeline using existing spray nozzles. This allows knownflow rate calibrations to be used. But instead of immediate dispersal ofthe water, it is retained until the collector is aligned with aground-penetrating dish. Then the stored water is released at arelatively high rate so a large amount of water can be deposited in thedish. The water then percolates into the ground through perforationsformed in the underground portion of the dish.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show an alternate irrigation assembly 84 which has aplurality of drop tube assemblies but no collectors thereon. The droptube assemblies, one which is shown at 17, each define a path similar tothe collector paths shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. But the assembly 84 providesfor the continuous discharge of water instead of the water beingretained by a collector. A plurality of troughs positioned on the groundreceive the water from the drop tube assemblies. The troughs are eachpositioned in the path of one of the drop tube assemblies and generallyfollow the path direction. An individual trough may be a pipe with anopening or slot 88 in a top portion thereof which receives the waterfrom its associated drop tube assembly.

Underground drains 92 are located at spaced intervals along the trough86. Each trough may have one or more drains. Where more than one drainis associated with a trough, the trough preferably is shaped andpositioned within the drop tube path following the direction thereof. Aspreviously described, the trough also may be formed within the grounditself by digging a hole, channel or trench for receiving the water. Amesh or web may be placed over or in the hole or channel so as toprotect it from erosion or from becoming filled with soil, and as analternate or additional measure, aggregate may be placed therein. Thetrough may be continuous or there may be numerous troughs placed orformed in a continuous or intermittent design. An intermittent designwould have spacing between the troughs so that water effluent would bedeposited onto the troughs as well as onto the bare soil or cropsbetween the troughs. Or it is also possible that a trough has a mainportion that is located within the drop tube path and tributary portionsthat are located in a direction trans-verse to the drop tube assemblypath. The tributaries would have their own drains in order to optimizethe infiltration of water to root structures. Weirs or dams 93 may besuitably placed in the troughs to control water flow therein. Forexample, where a continuous trough of the pipe type shown in FIGS. 12and 13 is used, undulations in the terrain may cause water deposited inthe trough to run rapidly toward a low point and largely flow past adrain at a higher elevation. A weir located on the low side of thehigher drain's inlet may prevent underwatering at that drain. The dams93 may be inserted into the trough or be formed as part of the trough.In FIG. 13, the dam 93 is shown as part of the trough with a roundedsurface spanning the width of the trough, but other shapes and sizes ofde dam are possible. The dam also may be a relatively thin planarsurface or a block which is inserted into the trough at selectedlocations. Aggregate may be placed at selected locations along thetrough either in addition to or instead of the dam. If aggregate isused, it may also minimize the tendency of water to run toward lowerelevation points. Each underground drain has an inlet at a top end 94,sides 96 and a bottom end 98. At least one outlet is positionedunderground either at the sides 96 or at the bottom end 98 or both. Theoutlet also may be a plurality of perforations or holes 100 located ateither or both of the sides or bottom end.

The purpose of the trough is to facilitate water filtration into theground and minimize water loss due to evaporation. During use, movementof the irrigation assembly will cause the drop tube assemblies to movealong their paths. If the irrigation machine is set for continuous waterdischarge, then the troughs receive water from the drop tube assemblywhenever the drop tube passes over the trough. Where the troughs arelaid continuously, the troughs will receive the water. Then the waterwill flow into the drains and percolate into the ground. Little waterwill be lost to evaporation. Due to certain factors, it may not bedesired to place the troughs continuously. So, in the case ofintermittent placement of the troughs, water from the drop tube assemblywill flow into the troughs when the two are in alignment. After the droptube assembly has passed over the trough but before it has reached thenext trough, the water effluent from the drop tube assembly will bedeposited on the ground or plants located between the placement oftroughs.

The irrigation assembly 84 may include a flexible hose 102 which is influid connection with the drop tube assembly 17. The hose has an inlet104 which preferably is attached to one of the drop tube, regulator ornozzle. The hose preferably is made of any flexible type of material.The hose extends downwardly to a hose outlet 106 which is placed on thetrough, in the trough or in the general vicinity thereof. The hoseoutlet 106 may be received by the slot 88 of the trough. The slots arelocated within the path of the drop tube assembly so that during normaloperation of the irrigation machine the hose outlet is in alignment withthe slots. Even where the placement of troughs is intermittent, thealignment between the slots and the hose will allow for the hose outletto move over or within the trough and discharge the water therein. Wherea hose used, it is believe that evaporation loss will be reduced furtherbecause the water is discharged directly from the hose outlet into thetrough. Where weirs are used, they may be configured to allow passage ofthe hose.

Other trough shapes are possible. For instance, FIG. 14 shows analternate irrigation assembly 85 which has no collector. It has analternate trough 90 having a generally planar surface with upwardlyextending sides which allows the trough to receive water therein. Thistrough can be used with a conventional drop tube assembly 17. Thetroughs may also be configured as holes or channels within the ground.Mesh and/or aggregate may be added to the troughs as needed.

Whereas a preferred form of the invention has been shown and described,it will be realized that there may be modifications, alterations, andsubstitutions made thereto without departing from the scope of thefollowing claims. For example, while the ground-penetrating target ordish is preferred for delivering water directly into the root zone,there may be some crops and/or soil conditions that do not require thetarget. In these instances intermittent release of water stored in thecollectors onto the ground surface may be sufficient to adequatelyirrigate the crops. A valve actuator or mechanism for tipping thecollector would still be required to empty the collectors but thesewould not necessarily have to be incorporated in the target. Anelectrical valve actuator could be used or an electrical trigger such asmetal wires could be affixed to the ground in the collector path. Orthere could be a mechanical device need not receive the water from thecollector. Also, while the above description contemplates use of aconventional pressure regulator and nozzle combination at the end ofeach drop tube, other arrangements could be used such as a regulatorvalve plus a nozzle. Any suitable volumetric metering device or flowcontrol device could be substituted for the regulator and nozzle.

1. An irrigation assembly comprising a main pipeline connected to awater supply, the pipeline being supported at intervals by mobiletowers, and a plurality of collectors in fluid communication with thepipeline for receiving water from the pipeline, each collector havingwalls defining a water inlet and a water retaining cavity and beingpivotally mounted to the irrigation assembly about a top end of thecollector.
 2. The irrigation assembly of claim 1 further comprising aplurality of drop tube assemblies attached to main pipeline andextending downwardly therefrom, the drop tube assemblies being in fluidcommunication with the main pipeline.
 3. The irrigation assembly ofclaim 2 wherein the drop tube assembly comprises a drop tube attached tothe main pipeline on one end, a pressure regulator on the other end ofthe drop tube, a nozzle attached to the downstream end of the pressureregulator, and wherein the collector is attached to one of the drop tubeor the nozzle. 4-5. (canceled)
 6. The irrigation assembly of claim 1wherein the collector top end is mounted on a spindle.
 7. The irrigationassembly of claim 1 wherein the movement of the collectors over theground defines a plurality of collector paths and further comprising aplurality of stationary targets positioned on the ground in at least onecollector path.
 8. The irrigation assembly of claim 7 wherein the targetis a dish, each dish having an open upper end and a drain, the drainbeing positioned at least partially within the ground.
 9. The irrigationassembly of claim 8 wherein the drain has a plurality of holes therein.10-15. (canceled)
 16. The irrigation assembly of claim 8 wherein thedish forms a funnel.
 17. The irrigation assembly of claim 8 wherein thedish holds approximately 3 gallons.
 18. The irrigation assembly of claim2 wherein a moisture probe assembly is mounted to the drop tube assemblyto provide for testing the moisture level of the ground when theirrigation system is in use.
 19. An irrigation assembly comprising amain pipeline connected to a water supply, the pipeline being supportedat intervals by mobile towers, a plurality of drop tube assembliesdownwardly extending from the main pipeline, a collector associated witheach drop tube assembly and in fluid communication therewith forreceiving water from the pipeline, each collector having walls defininga water inlet and a water retaining cavity, the movement of thecollectors over a ground surface defining a respective plurality ofcollector paths and a plurality of stationary targets positioned on theground with at least one target in each collector path for receivingwater from the collector and with each collector being pivotally mountedto the irrigation assembly about a top end of the collector.
 20. Theirrigation assembly of claim 19 wherein collector top end is mounted ona spindle.
 21. (canceled)
 22. The irrigation assembly of claim 20wherein the target is a dish, each dish having an open upper end. 23.The irrigation assembly of claim 22 wherein each dish has a drain whichis positioned at least partially within the ground.
 24. The irrigationassembly of claim 23 wherein the dish drain has a plurality of holeslocated therein and positioned underground.
 25. The irrigation assemblyof claim 19 wherein a moisture probe assembly is mounted to theirrigation assembly.
 26. (canceled)
 27. A method of operating anirrigation assembly of the type having a main pipeline connected to awater supply and supported at intervals by mobile towers, comprising thesteps of: positioning a plurality of collectors in fluid communicationwith the pipeline for receiving water from the pipeline and selectivelydischarging it, each collector having walls defining a water inlet and awater retaining cavity and being pivotally mounted to the irrigationassembly about a top end of the collector; controlling at least one ofthe flow rate into the collector and the flow rate out of the collectorsuch that during a first mode of operation there is a net flow into thecollector; controlling at least one of the flow rate into the collectorand the flow rate out of the collector such that during a second mode ofoperation there is a net flow out of the collector.
 28. The method ofclaim 27 wherein during the first mode the flow rate out of thecollector is substantially zero.
 29. The method of claim 27 whereinduring the second mode the flow rate out of the collector is increasedabove the flow rate into the collector such that the collector issubstantially emptied in about a minute or less.
 30. The method of claim27 further comprising the steps of positioning a plurality of stationarytargets in the ground at locations over which the collectors will passand operating in the second mode when the collectors are aligned overthe targets.
 31. (canceled)
 32. The method of claim 31 wherein duringthe first mode the flow rate out of the collector is substantially zeroand wherein during the second mode the flow rate out of the collector isincreased above the flow rate into the collector such that the collectoris substantially emptied in about a minute or less. 33-44. (canceled)